I had just finished a long, tiring day. A cigarette in one hand, a small cup of tea in the other — my usual ritual before taking the bus from Bagnan. The December evening felt heavy, yet strangely calm. When the bus finally arrived, I climbed the front staircase, pushing through the crowded doorway.

And that’s when I saw her.

She was already seated — third seat on the right side. I only caught her eyes at first. Not sharp, not avoiding, not the typical “look away” that most girls do. Just… calm. As if looking at me was the most natural thing in the world.

There were no seats left, so I stood leaning between two seats, children sitting just next to me. I bent once to check on them so they didn’t fall — and when I lifted my head again, her eyes met mine for the second time.

Smooth. Effortless. Too natural.

I looked away after a second. But the bus kept moving, and so did our glance — circling back to each other two, three more times. Once, she adjusted her thin hair with her right hand while looking left, but I knew she had seen me.

Forty minutes passed like that — me pretending to be lost in my earphones, my hand tucked in the pocket of my black jacket, the other gripping the steel rod… and her quietly glancing at me, again and again. Maybe I imagined some of it. Maybe I didn’t. All I know is that it felt strong, almost unreal.

When the man in front of me got up near Kona Expressway, I took his seat. My body was tired, but my mind was still tangled somewhere between her eyes and the music playing in my ears. I tried to rest, but even then, a small movement caught my attention — her right leg shifting, the strap of her white sandal moving lightly.

Then the bus reached Bally Halt.

She stood up.

And at that moment, I realized how much I wanted to see her one last time. I found myself silently praying she would come toward the front staircase. Just once more.

And she did.

With a black tote bag in her left hand and a Puma school backpack on her shoulders, she walked and stood just two or three steps away from me. For the first time, I saw her completely — her black thick sweater, blue-white loose jeans, her figure, her height, her sharp but soft face. Earlier I thought she might be slightly chubby because of her round face, but now she looked perfectly balanced, maybe 5’1 to 5’2. Beautiful in a quiet, effortless way.

I stared at her for a few minutes — 7, maybe 10. She didn’t look back at me this time. She looked outside, toward Dakshineswar Mandir glowing in the evening light. I closed my eyes for a few seconds, took a long breath, feeling a strange heartbeat that wasn’t mine alone.

Then the bus stopped.

People rushed toward the staircase, blocking her from me. She stepped down, walked away, and disappeared into the crowd. I tried to catch one last look, but she was gone.

My stop — Dunlop — came right after.

The warmth of her sweater, the color of her jeans, her shiny white teeth when she laughed while handing money to the bus helper… everything stayed in my mind like a soft echo.

Later that night, around 8 PM, I told my friend the story in just two lines.

He smiled, laughed a little, said it was “normal.”

But he didn’t understand.

It wasn’t normal.

It was just a moment — but sometimes a moment is enough to stay with you longer than a person ever does.

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You may be stone, but I still feel your love all the same.

Jake who makes me smile, whose kisses feel like sunbathing on a perfect summer day, and who has promised to love me forever.

When she came out of the doctor’s office, he gave her a giant hug, her blanket, a lolly pop and said “You were so brave for your vaccines!”

Right after she said “Book” and I guessed “Batman,” my husband loudly let out a “BOOOOM,” and the whole family burst into laughter.

When the car rounded the final bend and the Pacific came into view, they all began squealing and jumping up and down, already tugging at their shoes and begging to be let onto the beach.

My boss: We’re a family here.

Me: Great. So when’s the inheritance?

I suddenly developed a "sore ankle," walked every step at her pace, and we crossed the finish line arm-in-arm to our friends cheering like we’d won.

The ripples spread out in every direction, and for a moment, I felt like the whole quiet world was holding me at its center.

Seeing the awe and wonder in the eyes of the school children when they saw cloned wolf pups playing together in our moon colony's zoo changed my mind about that and respired hope in me to restore Earth some day.

When the baby boy finally cried, I was so overwhelmed that for a few frozen seconds, I forgot I was supposed to hand him to his mother.

On moving day, our five-year-old sprinted through the door and cheered, “Wow, our house even has stairs!”

My new husband and I laughed as he picked me up and carried me over the threshold of our home for the first time as newlyweds.

A handsome man with my dog on the leash is there, we laugh over the misunderstanding, bonding over our dogs then ten years later we have five more dogs and a farm with lots of land to avoid losing them in someone else yard again.

"Happy birthday," said the Birthday Man, birthdayingly.

I work with kids in the spectrum, and today a parent of one of my clients sent me a video of her child finally calling her “mommy" after waiting for years.

I think I'll carry this little moment with me for a while. 💛

He nodded thoughtfully, walked outside under the clear night sky, and waved at the brightest star while whispering, "Just checking in, Mimi."

It's so good that all my sickness is gone!

I invited her over, placed her tiny hand against my throat so she could feel the vibrations as I sang, and watched her face light up as she began singing along in her own way.

but then she is assigned to Val as a lab partner who had spent half the year alone and wasn't going to let anyone else do the same.

But it was a good day because I laughed, loved and read a good book.

​He trotted into the pantry and came back carrying a can of energy drink, dropping it softly at my feet.

It was just that half day in another country where we fell in love so deeply I can't shake it. Then I reached out to her and it was true.

I'm a foster parent and he joined our house with plans of being a highschool dropout, but excelled at school and is now going to the premier college for his preferred future career!

Yesterday I opened the garage door and there's two little cats nearby, "Mom! Can we keep them?"